Hunger relief charity thanks Aussie farmers for invaluable support

woman transferring a bucket of apple in a big tray

(Image provided by Montague)

Friday 18th November: 18.5 million kilograms. That is the amount of home grown, fresh Aussie produce that was generously donated to Foodbank from Australian farmers and growers last year.

Today, on National Agriculture Day, Foodbank is celebrating and thanking our country’s hardworking farmers and growers for their ongoing support to the food relief organisation to ensure those struggling have access to nutritious, fresh produce year-round.

With so many farming communities across the eastern states enduring relentless flooding and the loss of would-be bumper crops, the generosity shown by farmers and growers in supporting the most vulnerable in our community is even more significant.

In 2021, Foodbank sourced the equivalent of 86.7 million meals for essential food relief, 30 percent which was sourced directly from Australia’s world-renowned agricultural industry. More than 30 percent of Foodbank’s total food relief volume is distributed to rural, regional and remote areas, allowing the food relief charity to give back to the very communities who – in good times – are some of the most generous food donors to Foodbank.

Foodbank Australia CEO, Brianna Casey said,

We live in one of the richest nations in the world. We produce enough food to feed our population three times over. Yet, on any given day in Australia, more than half a million households are struggling to put food on the table.

“We cannot thank our incredible farming communities enough. They continue to support the work we do even while facing devastating natural disasters that don’t seem to ease up.”

Foodbanks in NSW and Victoria continue to pack and distribute emergency food relief hampers and pallets of fresh produce which have been making their way to flood-affected areas across Victoria and NSW for the last two months, on top of ongoing food relief to assist with recovery from previous disaster events.

“Our thoughts are with all the communities struggling at the moment, and in particular those close-knit, vibrant communities facing unfathomable devastation as a result of these latest floods. We want these communities to know that Foodbank will be right there with them as long as needed to help these towns get back on their feet.”

fruits in a black tray carried by a foodbank volunteer